It's easier than using worms

Did you ever wonder if there are actually fish in the streams where you are casting your line in July?

Every spring the state Fish and Boat Commission stocks local streams with trout. By summer, many fishermen think the trout have already been caught.

I believe every fisherman has approached a nice fishing spot hoping there are many fish waiting for a worm, but walk away without really knowing if a school of fish has out smarted them or if someone else has cleaned the area of fresh fish.

Well, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has a unique way of determining exactly what is swimming in local waters.

The commission has just finished its surveys of streams in Somerset County through the use of electrofishing.

It's fascinating to watch. As the rods move into murky waters, the fish pop up almost like popcorn. The men, with nets at the ready, scoop up the fish and record the information. The dazed trout are immediately returned to the water. About 10 seconds later they are able to swim away unharmed.

Advertisement

Being an average fisherman who hasn't had much success this year, it's hard to believe how many fish the crew working Beaverdam Run near Central City found in July. A three-man crew collected 125 trout in a 300-yard section of shallow water.

The run is not stocked by the state as it is a wild trout stream. The fish are able to reproduce on their own. Most of the catch were trout only several inches long, but the find included eight legal-sized (at least 7-inches) trout. Most of the wild fish were brook trout, but they did discover six wild brown trout ranging from 2 to 13 inches in length.

Gary Smith, fisheries technician, said the water levels have been up producing a better climate during spawning season. "Good water years lead to good reproduction."

Rick Lorson, area fisheries manager for southwest Pa., said even though they found wild trout, the numbers are down. He said the stream has had a lower water level in recent years because of past droughts and the need for public drinking water in the Central City area.

He said the numbers of fish per site ranged from four to 37 stocked trout or an average of five trout per 100 yards. According to those numbers a good fisherman still has the potential to catch his daily creel limit of five fish in 100 yards of stream.

Lorson said they've have had some interesting finds over the last month including a 20-inch rainbow trout in Bens Creek in northern Somerset County. However, the average length for trout has been about 10 inches.

The largest population of remaining fish has been brown trout. "They tolerate the warmest water and are the hardest breed to catch," Lorson explained.

"(The streams) are all in pretty good shape. But the one thing that we have noticed in all streams is silt," he said.

Mud and sand continue to build-up in area waterways from agriculture, construction, mining, dirt and gravel roads.

He urges the expansion of stream bank fencing projects to allow vegetation to grow closer to the streams. Those projects help reduce stream bank erosion that creates sediment buildup in area waterways.

It's apparent the commission has a good a program to monitor the future of our streams. The only bad part is that we no longer have an excuse on bad fishing days that the streams have been fished out.

(Brian Whipkey is the Daily American's managing editor. He can be reached at brianw@dailyamerican.com)